Here (God is With Us)

"Come and rest here.

Come and lay your burdens down.

Come and rest here.

There is refuge for you now.

You'll find His peace,

And know you're not alone anymore.

He is near."

(Here by Kari Jobe)

God is here.

     Last year on New Years Eve, just a few hours before the countdown to the new year began, my friend and I took a moment to step away from the people and the noise. We went outside and sat in her car, turned up the music, and worshipped. There was a stillness and a sense of peace in that moment. In the silence, we simply listened as God spoke. His Spirit breathed over us and moved amongst us in that car as the words of the songs echoed in our hearts. One song we seemed to play on repeat was "Set a Fire" by Will Reagan and United Pursuit. It's one of my favorite songs - I've listened to it, and worshipped to it, a thousand times before. But each time, something different stands out to me. On this night in particular, the phrase that stood out to me was "There's no place I'd rather be than here in your love." That word "here" stood out to me because at that point in my life, my here was in place of deep discouragement and disappointment. I picked up my phone and began to type what God was speaking to my heart.

This is what I wrote:

There's no place I'd rather be than here in your love. It's easy to get discouraged when we focus too much on the future, on the hopes and promises of God, because we start expecting them right away - and we get discouraged when we don't see things playing out the way we imagined. But God doesn't work on our timetable, and His ways are exceeding abundantly above anything we could ever ask or imagine. Likewise, it's easy to get discouraged when we focus too much on the past, because we start to focus on the things that didn't seem to play out and the prayers God didn't seem to answer as opposed to the ones He did. We fear the future because we forget the faithfulness of God, but God doesn't want us to focus on the future or the past. We should look to the future for our hope, and we should look to the past for our lessons, but we should learn to dwell in the present moment. We should learn to dwell in the presence of Christ. He was with us in the past, and He'll be with us in the future, but He is with us right now. He is with us here. Everything in our past led up to this very moment we are living in, and where we are right now will lead us to the place God has prepared for us in the future. Live in the moment. Experience the presence of God. Take life one step at a time, walking in full trust and obedience to the will of God.

     Now a year has passed, and God is still teaching me the importance of here. I'm at a good place in my life now. I'm not discouraged or disappointed, but I'm still not satisfied with my here. I feel like God is calling me to do more, to be more. I feel like God is calling me to greater things, but I don't know how to get from here to there. I recently heard a sermon from Christine Caine and she said, "People are always telling me they want to be where I am. They point to me and say they want to be there." She went on to say, quite simply and quite profoundly, "But I'm here." She said "I'm 50 years old, but it took me 50 years to get here. I've had 25 years of ministry, but it took me 25 years to get here. I've been married for 20 years, but it took me 20 years to get here." All we have is here. We can't get there without first being here, and once we get there, then there will become here. We are always growing, always evolving, always transforming. We are always moving from here to there.

     As much as I hope and wait to get there, I often find that my fear is holding me captive here. I eagerly anticipate getting there, but I'm fearfully hesitant to make the transition. I want to go to new places, to new heights, but I don't want to get on the plane that will take me there. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what could happen. I'm afraid of what will be required. I'm afraid of all that could go wrong.  I fear being called out of my comfort zone. I fear the unknown. I fear being alone. But God has showed me that the very reason I fear, is the very reason He commands me not to fear. He says in His Word, "Fear not, for I am with you" (Isaiah 41:10). He says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

     God is here. His name itself tells us that He is here, He is with us. Matthew 1:23 says, "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” I love to study the meaning of numbers, and it is no coincidence this verse is found in the 23rd verse of the chapter. The number 23 has a lot of significance to me. I was saved on September 23rd 2006. I started my job (which was a huge answered prayer to me) on March 23rd 2015. In 2009, I lost a close friend of mine in a car accident. He passed away on the night he preached his first sermon during a youth service at our church. The message he preached was on Psalm 23. This year I turned 23 years old, and I really began ponderingthe importance of this number in my life. I looked it up, and was amazed at what I found. I discovered that, in addition to Matthew 1:23, the number 23 is often related to Scripture telling us that God is with us.

Zechariah 8:23 is the 23,000th verse of the Bible, and it reads, "This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: 'In those days, ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, 'Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

 Matthew 18:20 - "For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."

John 14:23 says - "Jesus replied, 'All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.'"

Psalm 73:23 says, "Yet, I still belong to you; you hold my right hand."

Jeremiah 23:23-24 - "Am I a God who is only close at hand?' says the Lord, 'No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and the earth?' says the Lord."

And finally, Psalm 23:4 says, "Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me."

     We have no need to fear, because God is here. He is with us. His name does not mean "I was there" - in the past when things were simpler than they are now. His name does not mean "I will be there" - in the future when things turn around and everything is easier than it is now. He is not the great "I was" nor is He the great "I will be" - He is Yahweh, the great "I am." He is Immanuel, "God with us." He is here. In this moment, in this madness. In the midst of the chaos and confusion. In the midst of our anger and frustration. In the midst of our pain and heartache. He is here. He is with us. We have no need to fear. We need only trust. He always has been, and He always will be with us. He will never leave or forsake us. God is here now, and He will see us through from here to there.

     What we do today is preparing us for what we will face tomorrow. God is preparing us in this present season. He is equipping us for the calling He designed us to complete. We have to be here in order to get there, so we need to learn to embrace it. We need to learn to embrace here. We need to learn to embrace the present by embracing God's presence. We don't have to wait until we are in a church to experience His presence. As children of God, God's Spirit dwells in us. Wherever we go, God is there. Wherever we go, with a heart of worship, we can experience His presence. I've experienced God in some unlikely places, and my most meaningful worship experiences have been outside the walls of a church building. God is worthy of our praise in all times, in all seasons, and in all places. Don't wait to worship Him, don't wait to serve Him. Worship Him now, serve Him here.

     When was the last time you experienced God's presence? Where was the place you encountered His power? What are you waiting on? God is here now. What is holding you back? God is with you, there is no need to fear. Will you take the time to welcome Him into your here & now? Wherever you are, whatever you are doing. Whether you find yourself on a mountaintop, or in a low valley, God is here. God is with you. Let Him use you here. Let Him use you now. Be open to what He has for you today, so you can be prepared for what He has for you tomorrow. Listen to His voice. Live in His love. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to You. Abide in Him, and He will abide in You.

"Here, now. All I know is You are here now. Still my heart, let Your voice be all I hear now. Spirit breathe, like the wind, come have Your way. 'Cause I know You're in this place."

(Here Now by Hillsong United)